


Friendship Penalty

by Eeveelution



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Bisexuality, Family, Friendship/Love, Homosexuality, M/M, Profanity, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-03
Packaged: 2018-11-22 12:59:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,457
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11380683
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eeveelution/pseuds/Eeveelution
Summary: Sam has a supportive mother, amazing friends, and a band that will become Stardew Valley's best musical stars. However, in the small neighborhood of Pelican Town, he can't escape the arrogance of the cocky jock or the pessimism of the town drunk. Unfortunately, they're more alike than Sam thought.Major pairing is Sam/Shane. Minor pairing for Alex/M!Player.





	1. Year 1 B.F. (Before the Farmer) Part 1

“Uh, thank you Mr. Morris, sir, for, uh, giving me the opportunity to interview for this position…” Sam was so nervous. Here he was, interviewing for his first job, at Joja Mart of all places. Currently, he was in Morris' office in black slacks, a white button-down, and a blazer. He even went far enough as to gel his hair down just for this one moment. He told his mom that he was positive that he was overdressed for an interview to work at a grocery store, but she was not having it. _Best overdressed than underdressed_ , she said.

After graduating high school and spending a year lazing around the house, eating pizza, and sleeping in until 2 pm, Jodi wanted Sam out of the house and with a job. She had told Sam that she wished that he could continue his education and start a career for himself. Sam had insisted that his band would take off in a few more months, but his mom didn’t buy any of it. In fact, she told him that if he wanted a musical career, then he should study Marketing or Business so that he understood what he was getting himself into. 

Sebastian and Abigail told Sam about the online college classes they were attending, and Jodi didn’t mind as long as Sam received a college degree. However, Jodi alone couldn’t afford to pay the tuition while continuing to support her three-member family. So after Jodi put a good word to her boss, Sam was scheduled for an interview. His mom made Sam rehearse this interview multiple times to prepare for any curveballs Morris might throw.

“You know, Sam, I was skeptical when you applied here.” _Oh, Yoba, here we go._ “You aren’t exactly known as a law-abiding citizen here in Pelican Town.” Morris’ eyes narrowed. “In fact, I believe our own mayor called you a ‘troublemaker’, ‘annoying brat’, and ‘destroyer of all that is good and holy in this town.’” Leave it to Mayor Lewis to give Sam such a resounding recommendation. To be fair, Seb dared Sam to put those anchovies in the Luau stew a few years ago, and the taste wasn’t THAT bad. It probably would have tasted better if Seb didn’t add that melon or if Abigail didn’t add a whole bottle of vinegar. The stew was a TOWN effort, so if anything, everyone was at fault. Maybe if Mayor Lewis wasn’t so lazy and actually coordinated who brought what, it wouldn’t be such a problem.

Sam slowly breathed in and out before responding to relieve his building stress. It’s okay, Sam, you’ve prepared for this. “I, uh… understand that you may have doubts, but I hope to…uh, utilize my energy and optimism to become a beneficial asset in the workplace.” Sam stifled a laugh. Haha, ‘ass-et.’

“Hmmm, is that so…? Well, I have to say, Sam, I am honestly surprised. I didn’t think that you had such conviction, let alone the ability to pronounce half those words you just said.” Smile through the rage, Sam… “But I am confused. Why did you decide to work here? Word on the street is that you’re buddy-buddy with that Abigail girl. Finally figure out which shop is clearly more superior?” Morris flashed Sam a smug smirk and Sam gulped as he recalled the events that took place that happened yesterday when he told Abigail and Sebastian about his interview.

* * *

“You’re gonna work for WHO?!” Abigail, as Sam expected, was not happy. “Why Joja? You know that my dad’s already miffed that your mom is working for them! The only reason that he doesn’t say anything is because our moms are best friends and Dad doesn’t dare mess with Mom. But this is just another thing he can complain to me about! Ugh, this is the woooorst!” Abigail groaned and whined; she almost sounded like a dying seal. 

Sebastian gave her an annoyed look. “Quiet down! Someone might think I gave you alcohol and we’ll get kicked out.” There weren’t too many people tonight in the saloon, but there were still many stares directed at them. They didn’t even get their pizza yet. “Besides, when have you cared about what your dad says? And I think this is great. Sam can start paying for our cigarettes and pizza, or better yet maybe you can smuggle some out for us.” He smirked and gave Sam a playful shove.

Sam laughed awkwardly as Abigail pounced on Sebastian and told him to ‘stop encouraging him!’. “Hell yeah, that sounds great, Seb! But Abby, I think my mom’s serious about this, so I don’t want to let her down.” College sounded even worse than high school, but a college degree seemed like a big deal for his mom. And she never asked much from Sam. 

Sam also felt kinda excited at the prospect of being a college student. His two best friends were already college students and Sebastian was going to graduate in a couple of years. Maybe by getting a degree…maybe he wouldn’t be left behind.

Abigail turned her attention back to Sam. “Okay, I understand. You need a job. Great. But why Joja? Why not…uh…working for my dad’s store? Yeah! That would work!” Abigail smiled as she explained her thoughts. “You and I could work together and it would be awesome! Just like, no mischief or we are both screwed.”

Sam quickly pointed out the flaw in her argument. “Don’t you think my mom would already be working at Pierre’s if that was an option?” Abigail’s happiness faded as soon as it came. “Besides, I don’t think your dad has ever offered a job to…anyone?” Sam decided to stop there before Abby actually started getting defensive about her dad. As she always said, _No one can talk bad about my dad, except me._

“Fine. My dad’s a prick, I already know that. Uhh…um…what about…Willy! Yeah, what about working with Willy? You’ll be working right near the ocean and get to relax and fish every day!” Wow, Abigail was really pushing it.

Sam quickly refused. “No offense, Abby, but I don’t want to smell like fish every time I come back from work.” Sebastian slyly added, “Yeah, your mom already gets enough of that smell when she enters your room.” After throwing Sebastian a look, Sam continues, “Besides I don’t think I could work with Willy, he’s a great guy to talk to, but I don’t think Mom would want me working there.” 

“Okay, how about the clinic? The doctor’s been here for about a year, right? Maybe you could help out there! Oh yeah, Seb, doesn’t Maru work there? You two could be work-buddies!” As Abigail mentioned Maru, Sebastian flinched. Sam knew about the growing tension between the two siblings, but Sebastian was hopeful that after he graduated from college, he would move out and start a life without her.

Sam, on the other hand, started chuckling. “Me? Working at a clinic? Are you serious? No way! Besides, I’ve heard Harvey mumbling under his breath about how he wishes more people would come into the clinic. Probably doesn’t make enough to hire another hand.”

“Hmm, what about here?” Sebastian decided to propose his own idea after seeing Abigail overwork her brain for a solution. “I mean, we’re here at the saloon often, so you already know how this place works, for the most part, yeah?” Abigail perked up and called for Gus to come over. “Yeah, yeah! Hey, Guuuus! We have a question for you!” Ah, the stares were back.

“Abby, stop shouting from over there, I’ll be there after this order.” Gus was one of the more friendly adults in the town, and has probably been more lenient to Sam’s group than they deserved. He politely dropped off a salad to…a girl with orange braided hair? Sam wasn’t the best with names. Then Gus made his way to Abigail.  
“Okay, Abigail, what’ll it be? Another pizza?” Gus took out his notepad, preparing to take an order. 

“No, Gus, we have a question about work! Are you hiring right now?” Abigail looked up at Gus very expectantly, and her stare visibly confused Gus as his attention quickly darted to Sebastian. 

“Well, uh, we were actually hiring until last week but now we’ve already got a new hand here. You probably know her, Emily? Haley’s sister?” Sebastian and Abigail groaned as Gus mentioned Haley’s name. Sam knew their group wasn’t on the best terms with Haley, but did they groaned because of Haley or because Gus was no longer hiring? 

Abigail wasn’t done just yet. “Pleeease, Gus, do you think that you could take on one more person? Sam’s planning on starting college, but he needs a job to pay for tuition…” Abigail was trying to pull all the tricks in order to persuade Gus, but unfortunately, Gus knew how to deal with customers and this was no exception. He responded, “Listen, Abigail, Sam, I understand how much you need this, but I really don’t have an opening. Maybe next time.” And with that, Gus walked back to the bar.

“Ughh, fine! But what about Marnie’s ranch? What about Robin’s carpenter shop? What about the ice cream cart? How about the blacksmith? Oh Yoba, what about the library?!” Abigail was getting really desperate, but Sam didn’t really understand why. 

With a concerned look, Sam asked Abigail, “Hey, I understand that maybe it’s upsetting if I do work at Joja because it’s your dad’s rival business and all, but why do YOU care so much?” Abigail had dipped her head down and her hair covered her face. Was…was she crying?

With a few tears in her eyes, Abigail looked at Sebastian, maybe for support or validation as she answered Sam. “I already told you, Sam, I… my dad’s not gonna like that I’m friends with someone working at Joja Mart… What if he, like, forbids me from seeing you or something? We’ve been friends forever, I don’t think I could… I couldn’t handle it if… if we weren’t friends anymore…” Ah, geez, after high school, Abigail’s been worrying about being an adult and whether they would be parting ways and stuff. It had been a long while since anyone actually left Pelican Town but everyone knew that every single young adult had thought about it. Pierre was extremely adamant that Abigail would be taking over the family business. She didn't seem to mind, but if her friends were going to leave, she knew she couldn't follow them.

Sebastian put a comforting hand on Abigail’s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. “Hey, hey, take a deep breath. He’s not leaving us, right? We won’t let that happen. Sam’s just getting a job for college. We’ll stay together, and after he graduates, we’ll still be together.” Sebastian maintained eye contact with Abigail to prove his sincerity. Sam liked this mature side of Seb, although there really wasn’t a side of Seb Sam didn’t like.

Abigail took a step back from the two and turned to the arcade machine, putting in 50G to start a game. “Hmph, fine, I get it. As…as long as you are happy.” She faced the boys again, this time with a smile. “Besides, what type of friend would I be if I held you back? Now come on. Person who wins pays for pizza!”

* * *

“I believe I am mature enough to separate my personal life and work life.” Though the response didn’t answer the question directly, Jodi also prepared Sam for any inquiries regarding their relationship with Pierre. In Pelican Town, it was pretty obvious that Caroline and Jodi were extremely close; in fact, when Jodi first started working at Joja, there were rumors going around that the two had a falling-out and this was Jodi’s way of making their separation clear. Of course, that wasn’t true and after a few days, Jodi and Caroline had put an end to the rumors together. Sam was more than confident that if a rumor spread about a falling-out between Sam and Abigail, they would quickly disperse it, maybe with some graffiti or other flashy sign. 

Morris continued to ask more questions to Sam, but questions that were more logistical about the job. Soon, the interview was over. “Well, Sam, color me impressed, I think that I can safely say that you’ve got the job.” Yes! “It’ll take some time for me to get a schedule for you, but you start next week.” I did it, my first job! Sam promptly extended his hand to Morris and thanked him for the opportunity. Morris accepted the handshake and then collected Sam’s materials. 

“Ah, Sam, before you leave, let me introduce you to the rest of the staff.” Morris motioned for Sam to follow him as they left Morris’ office. They began to walk through the market, Morris explaining the different products the mart held and Sam only taking in every other word. ‘Cause let’s be real. That interview was exhausting for Sam and now all he wanted to do was go home, text Seb and Abby the good news, and go to sleep. It was only like 3 pm, but whatever. Ain’t no one gonna judge. 

The first person they passed by was Sam’s mom, who gave Sam a tight hug after hearing the good news. “Oh, thank you, Morris, for this opportunity, I promise, you won’t be disappointed.” Jodi’s smile was exceptionally bright and Sam was really happy to see his mom like this. It’s been a while since I’ve seen her smile like that. _I haven’t seen that smile since…since Dad left._ Sam’s smile faltered, but quickly returned it after focusing on the moment in front of him. After a few more words of thanks and gratefulness and an awkward hug between Jodi and Morris, they continued down the aisle.

The next person they ran into is an older woman named Pam. Morris quickly pointed out that while Pam didn’t work at Joja Mart, she was a highly respected customer, meaning that she was one of the few people that frequented the Joja Mart. “Hello Pam, lovely to see you today, how are you?” Morris opened his arms, as if getting ready for a hug, but Pam didn’t take his offer. “I’m fine, thanks.” Pam replied quickly. Sam glanced at her cart and saw it was full of TV dinners and beer cans. 

“This young man here is the newest addition to Joja Mart, he’ll be starting next week. Sam, introduce yourself to the lady.” Morris gestures Sam to shake hands with Pam as if they didn’t know each other in this small town, but they weren’t exactly on the best of terms. The last time they had interacted, Sam was carrying Penny to help get Vincent’s kite out of a tree. Pam had seen them and, after Penny was placed down safe on the ground, she yelled at Sam for touching her daughter inappropriately. He and Penny tried to explain the situation, but Pam was having none of it. Her scolding lasted for about ten minutes until Vincent poked out behind Sam and quietly said that Sam and Penny were telling the truth. Pam seemed to understand then and left, but not without taking her daughter by the hand and telling Sam to ‘stay away from my daughter!’. 

“Hello Pam, nice to see you again.” Sam forces a smile and held out his hand, but like with Morris, Pam doesn’t shake his hand either. “Hey kid, I appreciate the greeting and all, but I’m just here for some food, some booze, then I’ll get my ass outta here, kay?” _…How the hell do I respond to that?_ Sam turned to Morris for help to get out of this situation. Luckily, Morris takes the hint. “Well, regardless, Pam, thank you for your patronage. Here, take a coupon for those TV dinners you have there. Have a good day.” Morris pulls out a piece of paper from his coat and Pam quickly swipes it. Then, Pam walks away from the two as she continues her shopping trip. “It’s okay, Sam, we’ll teach you how to deal with these situations.” Morris smugly smiles as he continues walking. Not likely. Ugh, how about I avoid these situations. Seeing Pam did make Sam worry a bit about Penny, but she didn’t seem any different whenever she visited to pick up Vincent every weekday, so he pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

Morris and Sam stopped by a few more people, but none of them stood out to Sam and neither did their interactions. “Hi.” “Nice to meet you.” “Pleasure to be working with you.” “Bye.” Everyone looked okay, but all their names and faces whizzed by. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice. And besides, he’d have all year to learn their names later.  
“And here’s the last person, Shane. He’s been working here for about a year now, but he still has a long way to go before being one of our best,” Morris said with a smile. Shane was quietly supplying one of the aisles with canned tomatoes, but he slowly glared at Morris. “Well, maybe if you weren’t always following me and breathing down my neck…” Morris responded with an equally sinister glare. “Well, maybe if you stop making mistakes, I wouldn’t have to supervise you so often.” Shane grumbled to himself for a bit before realizing the new hire was Sam. He focused his attention on Sam and snickered. “So, you decided to enter this shithole too, huh? Well, welcome aboard.” Shane stuck out his hand for a handshake. 

Sam didn’t really know much about Shane outside of the rumors in town. According to Abigail, Shane and Pam were basically in competition over the title of the town drunk. Both were seen every night at the bar of the saloon, chugging down beer. Like Pam, no one really talked about why Shane drank every night. Of course, they couldn’t ask Shane without some profanity and a flash of a middle finger either, so no one really tried. 

Sam had had some interactions with Shane before of course, but none were that memorable. Sometimes Vincent wanted to play with Jas on the weekends and Jodi would ask Sam to accompany his little brother to Marnie’s Ranch. When they got there, Marnie would offer Sam some snacks and Sam would see Shane from the kitchen, but Shane was never willing to make conversation so Sam didn’t push it. 

“Um, yeah… Great to be working with you.” Sam shakily took the handshake. He was nervous because not only was Morris shooting glares at Shane, but this was basically his first actual interaction with Shane. _Don’t fuck this up, Sam!_

Not to sound weird or anything, but this was also the closest Sam had ever been to Shane, and Sam couldn’t help but notice Shane’s features. His hair was most distracting to Sam. It reminded him of Sebastian’s hair, which is always lazily brushed to a side without any care. Sam, on the other hand, made sure to spend at least ten minutes as part of his morning routine to make sure that his hair was on point. 

Moving on from his hair, Shane seemed to have such tired eyes. Not to say that everyone else working here wasn’t eternally tired; Jodi always looked exhausted after coming back home after working a five-hour shift. However, it felt like a different type of “tired,” almost like he was just tired…of everything.

“…*cough*…” Sam was abruptly brought back from his thoughts with a sound from…Morris? He realized that he was still holding hands with Shane and quickly pulled his hand back and forced it into his pocket, turning away from Shane. “Sorry, dude.” Sam muttered out an apology as he turned back to Morris. All he heard from Shane was a grunt and the continued clanking of cans.

Morris walked Sam to the exit of the store, signaling the end of Sam’s orientation. “Well, Sam, I’ll be sure to hand your work schedule to Jodi once it’s finalized. Other than that, welcome to the Joja family, and remember, Life’s better with Joja!” Yoba, Sam hated that slogan, but it seemed like he couldn’t escape it now. He had signed his life away to the devil, at least for a few years. And with that, Sam made his way home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've always wondered how Sam managed to get a job, even though he's the number one troublemaker in Pelican Town.
> 
> While the Male Player is a character in this work, I will focus more on the NPCs and their own personalities in an effort to represent my own view of these characters.


	2. Year 1 B.F. (Before the Farmer) Part 2

As promised, as soon as Sam got back home, he changed out of his suit and launched himself on his bed and sighed with relief. He was so glad that the interview was finally over, and now he had a job under his belt. Honestly, he felt more productive than he had in years. But now was the end of that. All Sam wanted to sink in the pillows and blankets and hibernate for a bit. But first… Sam pulled out his phone to text the good news to Sebastian and Abigail. _Oh, I have some missed messages._

ABIGAIL: come on, sebby, srsly. blue or purple?  
SEBASTIAN: >:C  
SEBASTIAN: I’ve told you to stop calling me that.  
SEBASTIAN: And is there even a difference? Besides, I think your normal hair color looks fine.  
ABIGAIL: aww, thnx boo >///<  
ABIGAIL: but i H8 it. gotta change things up, ya know?  
ABIGAIL: so like, im rly feelin blue & mayb adding a cute bow or something <3  
ABIGAIL: but i dont wanna be confused as emily’s sister, ya feel me?  
SEBASTIAN: ROFL, you and Haley, sisters? Nah, no one would make that mistake.  
ABIGAIL: barf D:< y would u evn say that  
ABIGAIL: who would think that haley and I are sisters???  
ABIGAIL: anyway purple is like so cute and I feel like I could totally upd8 my wardrobe  
ABIGAIL: but then i might be mistaken for shane’s sister!  
ABIGAIL: ( \ _ / ) this is so aggravatinggggg

Sam put the phone down to think a little more about Shane after reading that last message. _I mean, sure, Shane’s a raging alcoholic and he’s not the friendliest guy on the block, but he’s not the worst person to run into._ A certain brown-haired jock dumbass creeped into Sam’s thoughts. Besides, Shane’s one of my coworkers now, maybe I’ll get to talk to him and find out what his deal is.  
Sam jolted when he felt vibration between his legs. It took another second to realize it was his phone. Guess the conversation was still going on. He sat up and joined the conversation.

SEBASTIAN: Yeah, you’d be a horrible aunt to poor Jas. Such a bad influence  
ABIGAIL: I would not! -3-  
SAM: says the gurl who decided to buy a sword  
ABIGAIL: Sam! Ur back! and rood >:U nothings wrong about sself protection  
SEBASTIAN: Says the girl who eats rocks  
ABIGAIL: ey, dont knock it b4 ya try it. :P  
ABIGAIL: so btw how’d the intervieww go?  
SEBASTIAN: Oh yeah, is our baby boi finally a working adult?  
SAM: hell YEAH I am. Getting the schedule next week.  
ABIGAIL: darn.  
ABIGAIL: I MEAN, YAAAAAAAS ;p  
SEBASTIAN: Awesome, I’ll be sure to remember that for next Friday then.  
SAM: no mama seb nooo :C I wont get payed by thennnn  
ABIGAIL: pshh sebbys just saying tthat bcause it’s his turn to pay for pizza tthen  
SEBASTIAN: I hate both of you.  
SAM: <3  
ABIGAIL: ‘3’  
SEBASTIAN: -_-  
SEBASTIAN: But honestly, Sam, proud of you.  
SAM: Praise me moar! Moooaaaarrr  
SEBASTIAN: No. Stop feeding your ego. Anyway, Mom’s calling me. Probably to help her with one of her contracts or something. Text you later.  
SAM: bye mom!  
ABIGAIL: ttyl  
ABIGAIL: i should prolly go too. dad's got a new shipment of… watever. Anyway gotta help unload it.  
SAM: oh before you go  
ABIGAIL: ???  
SAM: i think purple suits you  
ABIGAIL: <3  
ABIGAIL: thnx

And with that, Sam was exhausted. He tried to go to sleep, but for some reason, the image of purple haired Abigail and Shane kept popping up in his mind. He snickered at the thought of the two being siblings and trying to live together in the same house. 

“Sam! I’m home!”

Speaking of siblings. There’s Vincent, right on time to wake him up. Sam groggily got out of bed. The day just never seemed to end. Sam entered the living room just in time for Vincent to quickly take off his shoes and run to hug him. Because both Sam and Jodi were going to be working at Joja Mart, Jodi had given Vincent a key to the house. Of course, Vincent was also given a lecture on not opening the door for strangers and a key ring to ensure that he didn’t accidentally drop the key. 

“Hey there, champ. How was school today? Did you make sure to say hi to Penny for me?” Even though Sam didn’t particularly like school, he appreciated what Penny did for his little brother. Vincent was always so curious, and Jodi didn’t want to see that drive for intelligence go to waste. And Penny had always wanted to be a teacher, so it seemed to work out. Of course, there was always the chance that Penny would move to the big city and get a teaching job there. Sam didn’t know if Penny had ever thought of that as well.

Vincent’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Yeah, yeah, Miss Penny took us out on a field trip today! We went to the beach and met with Mister Willy and he told us about different types of fish. He showed us octopus and squid and mackerel and bream and halibut and…” Sam tuned out as Vincent continued to list out different types of fish. Sam, of course, loved his brother but Sam could only pay attention for so long. Sam softly snickered to himself; that was the same thing he would hear from Sebastian.

“…and tuna! Also, also! Mister Willy taught us how to fish! Jas only caught a sardine, but I caught a big halibut! Then, then, we sold the fish to Mister Willy and he gave us money!” Vincent triumphantly held up what looked like 80G. “Maybe I’ll be a fisherman when I grow up!”

Sam gave that thought a second or two to develop, imagining Vincent with Willy’s beard and hat, and that was a laugh that he couldn’t keep silent. “Sure, next time we go to the beach, I’ll be sure to bring two fishing poles! Then we’ll see who the best fisherman is!”

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Sam didn’t think Jodi was expecting anyone. And Sebastian or Abigail would have texted him beforehand if they were planning on heading over. Sam quickly checked his phone to see if they had and he just missed it. 

…Nope, no new messages. “Coming!” Sam should have kept an eye on Vincent though, but he was already running to open the door.

“Hey, Vincent! What did Mom say about opening the door for strangers?” Sam ran after his brother to stop him from opening the door. Of course, there weren’t really any strangers in Pelican Town, but Jodi said it was better to be safe than sorry. The last time Vincent opened the door without confirming who it was, Jodi tried to convince him that the person on the other side of the door could have been the rumored malevolent Wizard of Cindersnap Forest who would take little boys and girls and turned them into doves and wipe any memory of them from their loved ones. Unfortunately, it was actually Mayor Lewis, who is arguably worse than any spellcaster, asking for donations to fix the old Community Center.

Sam was just a little too late. Vincent had already opened the door. “Sam, it’s not a stranger though! It’s Jas and Mister Shane!” Vincent let the door open wide, and sure enough, there was his new co-worker and his niece. Shane didn’t seem excited to be there, and Sam was sure that Jas had dragged him with her.

Jas looked indignant and held a red bag in her left hand. She shoved the bag towards Vincent. “You left your bag on the pier, Vincent! Miss Penny was very mad when she found your bag behind the bench! What if you lost it again?” The last time Vincent lost his bag, Penny had brought the children to the mountains to have Demetrius teach about the local fauna and she found Vincent’s bag a day later floating down the river in the town.

Vincent chuckled softly as he took his bag back from Jas. “Sorry, Jas! I was so excited after I beat you and caught the better fish that I had to go tell Sam!” Vincent turned back to Sam with a grand smile, hoping to hear more validation of his accomplishment.

“Ugh, Vincent! It wasn’t even a competition!” Jas glanced to where Vincent was looking and saw Sam smiling at them from the doorway. She quickly hid behind Shane’s legs and quietly mumbled an apology for screaming loudly. Jas still wasn’t comfortable with Sam, even though he was her best friend’s brother. 

Following his mother’s example, Sam decided to welcome the guests into the house. “Well, seeing as you’re already here, Jas, why don’t you come on in and play in Vincent’s room?” Sam put one hand on the door and used the other to motion the visitors in. “Uh, Shane, I could get you some coffee…or some snacks?” 

Jas looked to Shane, asking if she could stay for a little while. Shane sighed before nodding. Vincent happily took his friend’s hand and led her to his room, but not before saying “Bring us some snacks too, Sam!” Shane slowly sauntered inside the house, Sam closing the door behind him. 

“I guess I can wait a bit before going to the bar. Thanks for the offer, but no snacks. I’ll only be here for a few minutes, but are you sure your mom’s okay with me here?” As a known alcoholic, Shane wasn’t often welcomed into the house by Jodi, who saw him as a ‘negative influence.’ Then again, Shane usually didn’t want to stay anyway, as the bar was often his top priority.

“Uh, yeah, she’s out with Abigail’s mom right now.” Sam didn’t actually know where his mom was, and he hoped she didn’t pop in anytime soon.

Sam thought back to his earlier conversation with Sebastian and Abigail and getting to know Shane better, but this was way too sudden and Sam was not prepared. 

“So why’d you start working at Joja?” Shane surprised Sam by asking the first question.

“Well, I’m planning on starting some college classes. I’ve already turned twenty, so better late than never, I guess.” 

“Huh. I never thought of you as the college type. Figured your mom started to make you pay rent or something.” Shane started walking around the living, looking at the family pictures on the walls.

“Guessed wrong, I guess.” Sam knew that Shane was basically correct; college never crossed his mind until a week ago. “How about you, did you go to college, Shane?"

“Yep. Attended a community college in Zuzu City.” 

“No way!” Sam couldn’t hide his amazement after hearing that. “What did you major in?”

“Interested, huh? What was it…Film and Video Production.” Wow, that wasn’t anything Sam expected. It was hard to imagine anything in Shane’s hands besides a beer bottle.

“So like, for porn or something?” Sam snickered. He couldn’t imagine Shane directing an actual movie that actual people would watch.

“Really funny, kid. And with your little brother in the room right there?” Shane sarcastically gestured to Vincent’s room. Sam shrugged; they’re probably too busy playing to hear them and honestly, Vincent’s probably heard worse from Sebastian or Abigail. 

Shane continued. “Nah, I filmed a few product commercials and student films. Nothing major.” It is clear that there wasn’t anything major, or Shane probably wouldn’t be wasting away in Pelican Town.

Before Sam could ask why he stopped his filming career, Shane abruptly started to make his way to the door. “Anyway, chatting’s fun and all, but I’ll see you later. Can you take Jas back to Marnie’s for me?”

“Wait, you were only here for like five minutes. What the hell, man?”

“Yep, and that’s all the time I care to be here. See ya, coworker. Thanks for bringing Jas in advance.” And with that, Shane was on his way to the saloon. Sam wanted to chase Shane down and get more answers, but he knew he couldn’t just leave two little kids alone. Looks like breaking Shane’s armor would just as Sam thought. Difficult.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so hard not to ship Sam and Sebastian, but I also like the idea that Sebastian is a mama bird, watching over his two loud and annoying children. GO Mama Seb!


End file.
